Chapter Four
Jack didn't want to give Artemis a chance, she would have told Riddick so, but being in love, or being in love with love, was very fickle, and she didn't want to risk losing Riddick again, not when she had just gotten him back into her life. Yet Jack was still frustrated, how was she ever going to get Riddick to notice her when there was Miss Sex-on-legs strutting around the place and perching herself in Riddick's lap?
She eyed herself in the dusty mirror hanging on the wall in the space between the narrow hall and the living room that was now knighted her room, and ran her fingers through her dark blonde hair. She wasn't ugly at all, big pretty green eyes, porcelain skin only know spoiled by the fading bruises and men said she had legs for weeks and months. So what did Artemis have that she didn't? Jack wondered this as she tilted her head from side to side as if to observe herself at different angles. Well curves for one thing, Jack noted dully, and a name that actually belong to not only a girl, but a Greek goddess as well.
Jack didn't know why she was obsessing over what Riddick thought of her; there were plenty of men who would have been thrilled to go to bed with her. There was something about Riddick, besides that fact that up to date he had saved her life four times, appealed to her, every little emotion that flickered over his face, most of the time it was annoyance, but sometimes in those precious moments was happiness, like how he looked in the picture with Eileen, when he saw Artemis in the small "living room", or when he looked at Carolyn Fry all those years ago.
Telling herself it didn't matter; Jack turned from the dusty mirror and pushed the fancy notion of Riddick feelings an inkling of sexual desire for her, Jack spun around on her heels and nearly ran head on into Artemis, who was in fact pretty much the last person she wanted to see right then. "Excuse me, but I don't believe I invited you in here. Please leave" Jack said coldly, icily measuring Artemis up. "Excuse me," Artemis returned with the same measure of ice in her voice that was edging onto sarcasm, "But I don't believe you own this house, so in fact you have no say in where I can and cannot go"
Jack made a move to brush past her but Artemis shifted her stance and blocked Jack's exit, pushing her away almost forcefully, she continued. "Look if I ever come into your house when you own one you can kick my ass but right now I'm not in your house and you are going to listen to me, and listen very well" Jack only blinked at her as if she had never been spoken to that way before. She might have nor have, she couldn't remember. "Now I get that you have all this sexual tension with Riddick, I'm picking up seriously heavy vibes from you the minute I walked through that door, also as soon as I walked through the door you labeled me a threat to you, now why?"
It took a minute for Jack to be able to open her mouth to speak and when she did; her mouth was too dry to make any noise except for a rusty little squeak "You know what?" Artemis continued before Jack could try again. "It doesn't matter, because part of me already knows why. Have you told Riddick you want him?"
Now Jack did find her voice. "No, and I'm never going to" A small smile crossed Artemis's face and Jack's insides began to squirm a little. "Why not?" Artemis asked her calmly. "Because," Jack began slowly "He's not interested in me, he's into you" Artemis threw her head back and laughed and shook back her amazing mane of dark red hair and beamed a pretty smile at Jack. "Why do you think that he's not interested in you?" Jack turned her face away from Artemis to pay attention too a chipmunk that was nibbling on a piece of something and taking its time eyeing Jack and Artemis. If Jack didn't know better, she could swear that the chipmunk was laughing at her.
"Because," She began. "I'm not what guys call beautiful". Artemis scoffed and grabbed Jack by the hand. "That's total fucking bullshit, come here" She said and pulled her to the same mirror that Jack had been gazing in the moment before. "Now," Artemis said, centering Jack in the center of the mirror. "Tell me what you see" Jack cocked her head to the side and bit her lip. "I see a skinny little nobody, with no past and no future" Artemis shook her head and brushed at Jack's delicate dark blonde hair. "I'll tell you what Riddick sees. He's sees an amazing and fiery young woman who's had more then her share of life's shit"
Jack didn't want to think on it, but as Artemis walked to the door and pulled it open, Jack couldn't help but wonder if what Artemis had said was true. Her growling stomach brought her out of her thoughts as she pressed her palm to her belly. She turned and walked out the door as Artemis had done and wandered down the narrow hall. She went into the kitchen and busied herself by tearing up the piece of bread her held in her hand and eating the crust first. Riddick came in a minute later, looked at the pieces of discarded bread on the counter and back up to Jack, and laughed.
Jack didn't want to give Artemis a chance, she would have told Riddick so, but being in love, or being in love with love, was very fickle, and she didn't want to risk losing Riddick again, not when she had just gotten him back into her life. Yet Jack was still frustrated, how was she ever going to get Riddick to notice her when there was Miss Sex-on-legs strutting around the place and perching herself in Riddick's lap?
She eyed herself in the dusty mirror hanging on the wall in the space between the narrow hall and the living room that was now knighted her room, and ran her fingers through her dark blonde hair. She wasn't ugly at all, big pretty green eyes, porcelain skin only know spoiled by the fading bruises and men said she had legs for weeks and months. So what did Artemis have that she didn't? Jack wondered this as she tilted her head from side to side as if to observe herself at different angles. Well curves for one thing, Jack noted dully, and a name that actually belong to not only a girl, but a Greek goddess as well.
Jack didn't know why she was obsessing over what Riddick thought of her; there were plenty of men who would have been thrilled to go to bed with her. There was something about Riddick, besides that fact that up to date he had saved her life four times, appealed to her, every little emotion that flickered over his face, most of the time it was annoyance, but sometimes in those precious moments was happiness, like how he looked in the picture with Eileen, when he saw Artemis in the small "living room", or when he looked at Carolyn Fry all those years ago.
Telling herself it didn't matter; Jack turned from the dusty mirror and pushed the fancy notion of Riddick feelings an inkling of sexual desire for her, Jack spun around on her heels and nearly ran head on into Artemis, who was in fact pretty much the last person she wanted to see right then. "Excuse me, but I don't believe I invited you in here. Please leave" Jack said coldly, icily measuring Artemis up. "Excuse me," Artemis returned with the same measure of ice in her voice that was edging onto sarcasm, "But I don't believe you own this house, so in fact you have no say in where I can and cannot go"
Jack made a move to brush past her but Artemis shifted her stance and blocked Jack's exit, pushing her away almost forcefully, she continued. "Look if I ever come into your house when you own one you can kick my ass but right now I'm not in your house and you are going to listen to me, and listen very well" Jack only blinked at her as if she had never been spoken to that way before. She might have nor have, she couldn't remember. "Now I get that you have all this sexual tension with Riddick, I'm picking up seriously heavy vibes from you the minute I walked through that door, also as soon as I walked through the door you labeled me a threat to you, now why?"
It took a minute for Jack to be able to open her mouth to speak and when she did; her mouth was too dry to make any noise except for a rusty little squeak "You know what?" Artemis continued before Jack could try again. "It doesn't matter, because part of me already knows why. Have you told Riddick you want him?"
Now Jack did find her voice. "No, and I'm never going to" A small smile crossed Artemis's face and Jack's insides began to squirm a little. "Why not?" Artemis asked her calmly. "Because," Jack began slowly "He's not interested in me, he's into you" Artemis threw her head back and laughed and shook back her amazing mane of dark red hair and beamed a pretty smile at Jack. "Why do you think that he's not interested in you?" Jack turned her face away from Artemis to pay attention too a chipmunk that was nibbling on a piece of something and taking its time eyeing Jack and Artemis. If Jack didn't know better, she could swear that the chipmunk was laughing at her.
"Because," She began. "I'm not what guys call beautiful". Artemis scoffed and grabbed Jack by the hand. "That's total fucking bullshit, come here" She said and pulled her to the same mirror that Jack had been gazing in the moment before. "Now," Artemis said, centering Jack in the center of the mirror. "Tell me what you see" Jack cocked her head to the side and bit her lip. "I see a skinny little nobody, with no past and no future" Artemis shook her head and brushed at Jack's delicate dark blonde hair. "I'll tell you what Riddick sees. He's sees an amazing and fiery young woman who's had more then her share of life's shit"
Jack didn't want to think on it, but as Artemis walked to the door and pulled it open, Jack couldn't help but wonder if what Artemis had said was true. Her growling stomach brought her out of her thoughts as she pressed her palm to her belly. She turned and walked out the door as Artemis had done and wandered down the narrow hall. She went into the kitchen and busied herself by tearing up the piece of bread her held in her hand and eating the crust first. Riddick came in a minute later, looked at the pieces of discarded bread on the counter and back up to Jack, and laughed.